Dutch chip security firm Fortaegis has raised $50 million in new capital. The Amsterdam-based company plans to use the funds to bring its Secure Compute technology to commercial production. The technology uses unique physical properties of chips to generate encryption keys.
Singapore-based Serendipity Capital is leading the investment round. The investment arm of Tokyo Electron, Japan’s largest manufacturer of chip-making equipment, is also participating. Fortaegis plans to begin commercial production in 2027, according to the Financial Times. Techzine previously reported on Fortaegis’s collaboration with TNO to develop the secure chip.
According to CEO and founder Boudewijn Wijnands, the three-year-old company now collaborates with 25 companies in multiple countries. The technology is intended for applications including data centers, telecommunications, aerospace, and defense.
No need to store keys
The technology relies on the unique physical fingerprint each silicon chip acquires from minor variations during manufacturing. Fortaegis uses these characteristics to generate cryptographic keys. The keys change constantly and do not need to be permanently stored on a device.
This embeds part of the security directly into the hardware. Fortaegis also claims the architecture is resistant to quantum-computer attacks because the keys are generated randomly from the hardware’s physical properties.
The company also claims a speed advantage. External tests have reportedly shown that communication can be up to two hundred times faster than with existing cryptographic protocols for secure data transmission.
TNO tests technology
Fortaegis is collaborating with TNO on various projects. The research organization has also subjected the technology to security tests. One joint project focuses on secure communication among very large numbers of drones. Fortaegis is also in contact with NATO and participates in exercises related to integrating new technology into military systems.
AI infrastructure is also a target market. Wijnands says that Fortaegis is in talks with U.S. hyperscalers and AI labs. The company is also collaborating with ASML and Eindhoven University of Technology on a security framework for autonomous AI systems.
With this new investment, Fortaegis aims to move from development and pilot projects to commercial production.